1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an elevator system and, more particularly, to a wireless elevator communications system for transmitting voices and operating data between an elevator and a monitoring center.
2. Background Art
The practice of hard wiring together multiple elevator systems to form a communications system is known in the art. In buildings with multiple elevators, each elevator transmits its performance and operating data through hard wiring to a local monitoring center, which then compiles the data for on-site review or subsequent transmission to a central station capable of monitoring elevators of several buildings. Public phone lines are typically used to connect the local monitoring center with the central monitoring station.
The current state of the art creates a communications system by hard wiring together a network of elevator systems, which can be impractical or impossible in some applications. In a building with multiple elevators, hard wiring the elevators to a local monitoring center is a difficult, cumbersome and expensive task which involves routing communication cables and wiring around or through obstacles such as floors and walls. When voice and data communications are transmitted between the monitoring center and the control station using public phone lines substantial use and maintenance expenses are incurred.
There is a need for an elevator communications system that does not require expensive hard wiring in each building or the high cost associated with the extensive use and maintenance of public phone lines in a network of multiple elevator systems in separate buildings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a voice and data communications system that is easier and cheaper to install and use by eliminating the need for hard wiring between elevators in separate buildings.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a common monitoring station to simplify the monitoring, collecting, or changing of operating data for an array of elevators.
According to the present invention, a wireless communications system for use in a building with at least one electronically controlled elevator system includes a first transceiver attached to an electronic elevator controller and a second transceiver attached to a local monitoring center located in the building. The first transceiver has a first antenna which transmits data to and from a second antenna attached to the second transceiver. The communications system of the present invention may also include a second monitoring center having a third transceiver which communicates with the second transceiver to enable monitoring of the elevator from outside of the building. The first transceiver has a unique electronic address allowing discreet communications between the elevator and monitoring center in a communication system with multiple elevators.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile transceiver can be used with the communications network to allow emergency personnel to communicate from a safe location with any of the elevators within the functional range of the mobile transceiver.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, transceivers of neighboring communications systems are used to link the systems in the event that a monitoring center fails.
One advantage of the present invention is that hard wiring is no longer required to link multiple elevators in a single building. Operating data is transmitted between the elevators and a monitoring center using wireless transceivers.
Another advantage of the present invention is that hard wiring is no longer required to link elevator systems in separate buildings. The elevators are networked together using remote transceivers, thereby eliminating use of some phone lines, reducing monthly phone line expenses, and simplifying the installation of the entire network.